Strength and Courage

Devotional

Day 1: When Fear Meets Obedience at the Flooded River

Courage is not the absence of fear but the choice to obey despite trembling hands. Transitions—crossing swollen rivers, facing fortified walls, or stepping into unknown seasons—demand a strength deeper than self-reliance. God’s command to Joshua was not a pep talk but a call to anchor in divine resolve. Moral courage grows when we fix our eyes on God’s faithfulness, not the chaos ahead. It is fear that has whispered its prayers, trusting the One who splits seas and quiets storms. [45:31]

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:6–9, ESV)

Reflection: What transition or challenge stirs fear in you today? How might obedience, not the absence of fear, become your act of trust in God’s command?

Day 2: Melting Souls and the Word That Rebuilds

When grief, doubt, or overwhelm threatens to dissolve resolve, Scripture is the scaffold that holds us upright. The psalmist cried, “My soul melts away for sorrow”—yet found strength not in platitudes but in God’s spoken promises. Like Joshua, we are called to speak truth aloud, letting Scripture shape our lips before it steels our hearts. Courage is a muscle strengthened daily by the rhythm of reading, reciting, and relying on God’s unchanging word. [49:27]

“My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!”
(Psalm 119:28, ESV)

Reflection: Which verse or promise has steadied you in past trials? How could speaking Scripture aloud reshape your perspective in this season?

Day 3: The Unseen Arm That Never Lets Go

Courage withers when we feel alone, but flourishes when we remember God’s nearness. He did not send Joshua into battle with a strategy but with a presence: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” Our Jordan crossings—illness, loss, new beginnings—are not solitary marches. The same God who hovered over creation’s waters walks beside us, His grip tighter than our doubts. [50:13]

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”
(Hebrews 13:5–6, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you most need to sense God’s presence today? How might your choices shift if you truly believed He stands beside you?

Day 4: Claiming Land With Muddy Sandals

God’s promises are not passive gifts but invitations to step onto soil He’s already prepared. Joshua’s inheritance required muddy sandals—faith that moved forward while the river still raged. Our “promised land” (healing, reconciliation, purpose) often waits beyond the threshold of risk. Courage trusts that every footfall on uncertain ground is met by the God who owns the earth. [51:38]

“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.”
(Joshua 1:3, ESV)

Reflection: What “land” has God called you to claim? What first step have you hesitated to take, waiting for certainty instead of acting on His promise?

Day 5: Small Obediences and the God Who Multiplies

Courage grows in the soil of action, not intention. Nicholas Winton saved thousands by refusing to let the scale of the crisis paralyze him. Joshua’s first step into the Jordan mattered more than his battle plan. God multiplies our faltering “yes”—a prayer whispered, a forgiveness offered, a door knocked—into stories that outlive us. [01:02:55]

“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
(James 2:17, ESV)

Reflection: What one small, obedient step can you take this week—even with trembling hands—that aligns with God’s call? How might this act of trust ripple beyond what you see?

Sermon Summary

Joshua 1 opens at a hard turning point. Moses has died, and nobody in the Old Testament was like him. Joshua now stands before a flooded Jordan River, fortified cities, walled-up Jericho, and a future big enough to scare anybody. God shows up, but God does not first hand Joshua a military strategy. God says, “Be strong and courageous.”

The command is not a suggestion. Strength and courage are not optional for Joshua, and they are not optional when life changes, when health changes, when money gets tight, when family hurts, when school starts, or when the next step looks overwhelming. Strength is not muscle here. Strength is moral backbone, spiritual resolve, a mind and spirit set on obeying God. Courage is not the absence of fear. “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

God’s word gives that courage. Joshua is told not to let the book of the law depart from his mouth, but to talk about it, meditate on it day and night, and obey it. Scripture is not an occasional emergency pill. Scripture is the place where the melting soul is strengthened, where Jesus says, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

God’s presence gives that courage. God tells Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” Joshua does not get courage from Joshua. Joshua gets courage from God. The same God who went with Moses, parted the sea, fed Israel in the wilderness, and raised Jesus from the dead is the God who goes with His people now. God is not far off, looking down from a distance. In Him people live and move and have their being.

God’s promises give that courage, but the promise calls for a footstep. God says every place the sole of Joshua’s foot treads has been given to him. Joshua cannot stay safe on the near side and demand the land. He has to cross the river, walk around the city, and move in obedience.

Fear, discouragement, and doubt steal courage. Fear says failure is coming. Discouragement says somebody else is better. Doubt says God cannot use a person with too many mistakes. Joshua’s answer is not self-confidence. Joshua’s answer is God-confidence. The next step may be small, but courage grows by action, not by feeling. Nicholas Winton’s one frightened but obedient life saved hundreds, and thousands lived because one man “couldn’t do nothing.”

Key Takeaways

1. Courage is prayed-through fear. [48:05] Courage does not mean a person has no fear. A fearless person may simply not understand the danger. Godly courage happens when fear is brought before God and obedience still takes the next step. Fear may remain in the body, but it does not get to rule the will. [48:05]
2. Scripture strengthens melting souls. [49:27] God’s word is not given merely to inform the mind. God’s word is given to hold up the soul when heaviness makes it feel like everything inside is dissolving. Talking about Scripture, thinking on Scripture, and obeying Scripture forms a steadiness that circumstances cannot produce. The frightened heart needs more than vague optimism. It needs the living promises of God in its mouth. [49:27]
3. God-confidence replaces self-confidence. [56:15] Joshua’s courage did not come from thinking Joshua was enough. Joshua’s courage came from knowing God was faithful. Self-confidence collapses when the task gets bigger than personal ability, but God-confidence rests on what God has already done and what God has promised to do. The same God who parted waters and raised Jesus still goes with His people. [56:15]
4. Promises require faithful footsteps. [51:38] God gave the land, but Joshua still had to put the sole of his foot on it. A promise is not an excuse for staying still. Faith receives what God gives by moving in the direction God commands. Fear often wants certainty before obedience, but God often gives courage while obedience is already underway. [51:38]
5. Courage grows by action. [01:02:55] Feelings do not have to arrive before obedience begins. A person waiting to feel brave may never do the thing God has placed in front of him or her. Small steps of obedience train the soul to trust God in motion. What feels terrifying today may later be remembered as the great adventure where God proved faithful. [62:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[43:14] - Honoring Wavell and Julia
[44:38] - Joshua Faces a New Beginning
[45:31] - Be Strong and Courageous
[46:45] - Strength Is Not Optional
[48:21] - Courage Comes From God’s Word
[49:59] - Courage Comes From God’s Presence
[50:54] - Courage Comes From God’s Promises
[53:34] - What Steals Courage
[57:29] - Practical Ways to Grow Courage
[63:16] - Prayer for Students, Parents, and Teachers
[68:38] - Nicholas Winton and One Life
[71:32] - God Can Make His People Courageous

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Joshua 1:6-9
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” [45:33]

Psalm 119:28
“My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!” [49:35]

John 16:33
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” [49:59]

Hebrews 13:5-6
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” [50:54]

Romans 8:28
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” [52:19]

Observation questions

In Joshua 1:6-9, what is Joshua told to do with the Book of the Law, and what repeated command is tied to it? [48:29]
What kinds of transitions were named as moments when people especially need strength and courage? [46:26]
According to the message of Joshua 1, what three sources of courage were emphasized? [50:22]
What three things were named as common thieves of courage? [53:34]

Interpretation questions

Joshua is told to be strong and courageous before he is given any battle details. What does that suggest about what God sees as most necessary at the beginning of a hard transition? [45:13]
Joshua 1 connects courage with speaking, meditating on, and obeying God’s Word. Why do those habits strengthen a person more deeply than occasional Bible reading during a crisis? [49:07]
God promises Joshua the land, but Joshua still has to step into the river and walk where God sends him. What does that show about the relationship between God’s promises and human obedience? [51:34]
Joshua’s courage is rooted in God’s presence, not in Joshua’s own ability. How does that change the way a believer thinks about fear, weakness, and feeling unready? [56:15]

Application questions

What transition or challenge right now feels like a flooded river or a walled city for you? Where do fear, discouragement, or doubt show up most clearly in that situation? [57:03]
Courage is fear that has said its prayers. What fear needs to be prayed through right now instead of ignored, hidden, or allowed to rule the next step? [48:05]
God’s Word is meant to stay in the mouth, not just in the mind. What promise of God would be worth saying out loud this week when anxiety starts rising? [58:26]
“My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” When your soul starts to melt, where do you usually run first? What would it look like to run to Scripture before running to distraction? [49:35]
God’s promises call for footsteps. What is one small act of obedience you may already know you need to take, even if you do not feel brave yet? [01:02:35]
Remembering past victories builds present courage. What is one “Red Sea moment” from your life that reminds you God has made a way before and can do it again? [01:00:12]
Courage often grows in community. Who are the encouragers in your life right now, and do you need to move closer to them or ask them for help in a specific way? [01:00:59]

Sermon Clips

35s

#CourageIsObedience

“``It's not that he's not afraid. I've said this before. I wanna say it again. Courage is not the absence of fear. A person who never feels fear is a person who is insane. But the fact is that courage is fear that takes place, but it's obedience in the face of fear. Courage is fear that has said its prayers. I need to understand that God demands that I be courageous. Not optional.”

64s

#SmallStepBoldFaith

“And then here's what I would say. Take one small step of obedience today. You may not feel like it. You might be depressed. You might be discouraged, and you might be afraid. Take a step anyway because courage grows by action. It doesn't grow by feeling. If you're waiting to feel right before you act, you'll never get done what it is that you need to get done. You can't feel your way into acting courageous. You act courageously because you act in faith, and feelings will follow later. And the things that scare you to death today and the troubles that pile up today. One of these days, you'll look back and say, it was the great adventure of my life. I stepped out. Take one small step in obedience today, and I wanna start that right now.”

40s

#GodConfidence

“Be strong. God goes with you. Joshua's courage was not self confidence. In fact, he didn't have a lot of self confidence. His courage and strength came from god confidence. He believed in god, that everything that god said was true, that everything that god said, he would bring about. It's god confidence that we need. The same god who parted the water to the Red Sea, fed the Israelites in the wilderness, and raised Jesus from the dead is the god who goes with you. He's the same god.”

40s

#StepOntoYourPromise

“God's promises are conditional upon our putting our foot on that land. I have to step out. I can't just stay here and say, okay. God, give it to me. He says, no. You cross that flooded river. You get over there and walk around that city. You get on that land, and you do what I tell you to do. But when you do, everywhere the sole of your foot hits, I've given it to you, but you have to put the sole of your foot on it. Don't let fear keep you from moving. Don't let fear and and overwhelming, circumstances keep you from moving forward”

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